What did you do with your old worktop when you replaced it?

[Ann-Nunu]

Hi all,

I'm a student doing a university project on kitchen waste in the UK. I'm not selling anything, just after a few honest answers from people who've done a kitchen refit.

When you last replaced a worktop (laminate, wood, stone, whatever it was), what happened to the old one? Please pick the closest option in the poll below.

If you have a minute, it'd be great to hear more in the replies:
- Did you have to pay for getting rid of it? If so, what was it for (skip hire, tip fee, fitter's disposal charge, collection service) and roughly how much?
- Was it still in decent condition, and did you think about reusing it or passing it on?
- If someone had offered to collect it for free, would you have let them, or is it easier to just bin it?

For the fitters on here: do you take old worktops away as part of the job, and where do they usually end up? Do you charge the customer for it separately?

Any experience helps, even "I just put it in the skip and it cost nothing". Thanks a lot, and I'm happy to post a short summary of what I find.

 

[Diver Fred]

Reused about half, rest went to tip into specific waste bin for old worktops.

 

[Elsa TLC]

All down the dump

 

[Ann-Nunu]

Thanks both, that's really helpful!

@Diver Fred - good to know about the separate bin for old worktops. Did you have to pay anything at the tip for the half you didn't reuse, or was it free? Roughly which area is that, if you don't mind me asking?

@Elsa TLC - and for you, was there any charge at the dump, or any other cost (fuel, van hire, permit)?

Just trying to get a feel for whether people usually pay something to get rid of old worktops, so even a quick "free" or "£X" helps. Thanks again!

 

[Elsa TLC]

Id never pay anyone to offload my rubbish. Always myself

 

[Mottie]

Id never pay anyone to offload my rubbish. Always myself

You’ve offloaded plenty on here….

 

[Elsa TLC]

You’ve offloaded plenty on here….

Boom boom

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

If you're (un)fitting a kitchen you've probably got a circular saw or jigsaw, so chopping it into chunks the same size as the units is a trivial task, then it can go in the same skip or car boot as the rest.

At least for chipboard anyway. Stone or fake stone would be more challenging.

 

[johnny2007]

I used most of it in my workshop as a top for a large cabinet so to have more workspace.
The extra leftover from the new quarts went to become an exterior tabletop next to the brick BBQ; great working area easy to keep clean.

 

[RrogerD]

Straight to the tip with the rest of the 'wood' / pieces of cabinets etc
Back of the car. No charge.
Offcuts of good pieces, stored in the garage for some use that never comes lol!

 

[fillyboy]

Fee, fi, fo fum.

 

[securespark]

To the tip in the car.

 

[johnny2007]

If you're (un)fitting a kitchen you've probably got a circular saw or jigsaw, so chopping it into chunks the same size as the units is a trivial task, then it can go in the same skip or car boot as the rest.

At least for chipboard anyway. Stone or fake stone would be more challenging.

Sledgehammer.
A bit of fun for the boys at tea time.

 

[Diver Fred]

Free disposal, at the time recovered chipboard, OSB, MDF and composite wood worktops were incinerated whilst 'tree' timber was sent for reuse processing - i.e. to make composite wood boards. East.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Free disposal, at the time recovered chipboard, OSB, MDF and composite wood worktops were incinerated whilst 'tree' timber was sent for reuse processing - i.e. to make composite wood boards. East.

Incinerated, or burnt in a garden fire with horrendous black clouds over the neighbourhood?